NEW BLOG FROM ASHLEY - Second One Eucharisteo I figured that - TopicsExpress



          

NEW BLOG FROM ASHLEY - Second One Eucharisteo I figured that after my miserable blog post last week that I should reassure you that I am not completely unhappy or jumping on a plane tomorrow to come home; although I am close to it. Construction of this ginormous garden is underway and it is starting to take shape. I have faced discouragement and many naysayers but through it all planting of the seeds should happen in a few weeks. The entire fence for the garden is up, cemented, and secured. We still have to buy the barbed wire that is going to go across the top but other than that it is up and functioning. There is still a lot that needs to be done but one teacher has stepped up to help me with as much as I need. We still need to put in the pipe and install the tap for the water, till the land, build more keyhole gardens, and plant the seeds. I am hoping that some crops start coming up before I leave. Many have told me that once I leave it is going to be destroyed and not maintained but I can’t continue with those thoughts. I have to live with the fact that I am trying my hardest to help this destitute school and have given them the means to better food; the rest of it is up to them to upkeep it. The fence is up!! What the beginning of a keyhole garden looks like The gate to their new nutritional food! I have been staying out in the bush more because I enjoy my weekends to myself; for the most part. It has its advantages and disadvantages. It gives me the chance to lay in bed watching movies and not do anything else. I can cook meals that I want to and have time to cook. Whoever said you get skinny in Africa has never lived here, trust me! Unless you starve yourself, you are not getting skinny. I can also workout more than what I have time to do on the weekends and just go for long walks through the middle of nowhere. Traveling 2 hours back and forth to Opuwo is getting very tiring and makes me car sick most of the time so the more I can avoid it the better. The downside is not having network and learners that STILL invade your space. My parents and I are working on a book called One Thousand Gifts. It is about living a life empty of yourself and full of God. The root idea of the book is the word Eucharisteo which broken down means Grace, Thankfulness and Joy. I have a huge chart in my house hanging in my room that has that word at the top. Each day I have to write at least one thing that I am thankful for, joyful of or where I received God’s grace. Believe it or not this has helped a lot. Knowing that even on my darkest and hardest days there are things to be grateful for helps so much. The encouragement and notes that people have sent from home have helped and are greatly appreciated. My chart that is hanging in my room. I add one thing each day. This is from a few weeks ago When I am in on the weekends it has been fun to just sit and enjoy the company of my friends. Friends who have become more like family than anything else. They have become my saving graces and breaths of fresh air after hard weeks out in the bush. Leaving them when I go back to the states is going to be one of the hardest things. TK asked the other day how much they would need to pay me to stay haha. After these couple of weeks I will be taking a few personal days to go away with friends for a break before I break! This past weekend Mailin and I headed to Oshikati to meet some other volunteers for a July 4th celebration. Hamburgers, Red, White and Blue, and good American songs were all present. It wasn’t the same as spending the weekend bbqing out on the water but it definitely was close haha. It was nice to get to Oshikati and buy food that isn’t remotely available in Opuwo. Cheese, Special K cereal, Sugar Free rusks, just to name a few. Though I am having many hard times and struggles I am still trying to make the best of my time here. As my mom has always said, “God will give you a break when you need it. Not a minute before and not a minute after.” I have heard this my 15+ years of schooling and jobs and it has always rang true.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 17:27:50 +0000

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